05.13.09: Doug Herbert will make 2009 debut this weekend in Bristol
Popular Top Fuel driver Doug Herbert will make his 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series debut this week at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, thanks to the support of zMax and Food City. Herbert, who has experienced a great deal of success at Thunder Valley – he won there from 1992 to 1997 when Bristol Dragway hosted an IHRA event and ran the track's first four-second and 300-mph passes – has been sidelined this season after losing his primary sponsor during the off-season but put together a last-minute deal to compete at this event.
"I had my car at Bristol's circle-track race [the NASCAR Food City 500 in late March] and fired up my car for the fans with my buddy Michael Waltrip in the cockpit, and everyone got pretty excited about it. When the zMax and Food City people heard that I wasn't going to be able to run the NHRA race, they decided they wanted to help me make it to the event. I can’t tell you how excited I am to be able to run at Bristol again; I love that track."
Herbert's teen safe-driving program, BRAKES, also will be bannered on the car, which Herbert and Scott Gaddy will tune. Herbert will call on the team he has assembled to build his land-speed car to work on the dragster and plans to recruit other help on site as needed. "I have some deals cooking, including one that I hope will come together for later this year or next year," said Herbert. "I do already have a deal worked out for Charlotte [Sept. 17-20], and it looks like I'll also have something together for Memphis and Richmond. We're looking forward to getting back out there full time to represent a sponsor and to get the word out about BRAKES, but I'm thankful to zMax and to Food City to have this opportunity to run in Bristol this weekend."
Herbert last competed at the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals last November but did run the car during a PINKS show at zMax Dragway, where he recorded an early-shutoff 3.98 on a track that hadn't been specially prepped for fuel cars.
Getting close to thunder in the valley
you're racing thunder on the ocean this weekend too, right?